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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Pasta all' Amatriciana

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm breaking the rules a bit tonight. The sauce I'm featuring is usually served over thick strand pasta such as perciatelli or bucatini. Unfortunately, they are not available here, so I usually use spaghetti or linguine in their stead. I was in a rush this evening and didn't realize I had neither of them in my pantry until the Amatriciana sauce was nearly done. I did have cavatelli and, having no other options, decided to use it as a base for the sauce. It worked, though not as well as a strand pasta might. I hasten to add that the sauce saved the day, not the pasta I used. The sauce, which originated in the Italian town of Amatrice, is usually made with tomatoes, pancetta and hot pepper flakes. The pancetta gives the sauce a unique flavor, and while some think Canadian bacon can be used as a substitute, I don't recommend it because I don't think it imparts the same flavor. Amatriciana is an uncomplicated sauce that has wonderful color and is quite simply delicious. The recipe I use was originally developed by Lidia Bastianich and it is a winner. Here's how the sauce is made.

Directions:1) Pass tomatoes and their liquid through fine disc of a food mill. Set aside.2) Bring 6 quarts of salted water to boil in an 8-quart pot.3) Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add pancetta and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add pepper flakes and tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to a simmer, and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.4) Meanwhile, stir pasta into boiling water and cook, according to package instructions, until done.5) Reserve about 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta, return it to pot in which it cooked. Add half the sauce and bring to a boil, adding enough pasta water to make a sauce to coat the macaroni. Check seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Remove pan from heat, stir in 1 cup grated cheese and transfer to a large, heated serving platter or bowl. Spoon remaining sauce over top. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if desired. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

I have never found bucatini in the store either and I always think it looks so interesting in recipes. Love this simple sauce - pancetta must add some great flavor here. I also like that you run your tomatoes through the food mill. I am not sure why that had never occurred to me, but I love that idea..I think the whole tomatoes in the can taste better in a sauce than the diced. I usually end of crushing them with a wooden spoon, but a food mill is very smart!

I never knew where the name of the sauce came from! I love that kind of information. Not to mention the sauce! I don't often find pancetta, though. But I do happen to be making a trip "to the big city" next week! (And thanks for being such a friendly "lurker.")

This looks yummy! I made a very similar pasta sauce a few days back, and we loved it.

I usually keep a very large selection of pasta in my cabinets, but there was a day when I had a killer craving for baked mac n' cheese and found myself in a pickle -- I was completely out of both macaroni and shells. In the end I used bowtie noodles. It worked...kinda. ;)

You could put that sauce over rice and I would eat it!! lolLove pasta all' Amatriciana.. I actually just ordered it at our favorite Italian place two weeks ago. Mmmmmmm.. now I don't need to go out for it.. thank you!!

I love your method of saucing the pasta, Mary! It makes such a difference. I learned it well over 30 years ago from an Italian friend. Before that, I thought you just put the cooked pasta on the plate and put the sauce over it.

Wow, Mary! Love yiour Amatrician sauce! You really did justice to this special sauce. Loved reading your post, as well!Cavatelli pasta is a great choice for the sauce...the crevices really scoop up the rich thick sauce!Also love the previous 1yr. and 2yrs ago. The tomato jam is superb:DDD

Back in Rome they use guanciale, cured pig jowls, which have a slightly more distinctive taste than pancetta. You are right, Canadian bacon cannot impart the flavor of pancetta of guanciale. If nothing else is available, I'd rather use a small amount of pork fat from smoked ham.

I learned from an Italian friend to cook the pasta only until it is at least a minute or two shy of being al dente. That way, the pasta and the sauce have the luxury of melding together even a bit longer in the pot.

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